Wood-cutting has me stumped but at least Bambi was fair game

OVER three days in July 150,000 people are expected to visit the Country Land and Business Association (CLA) Game Fair at Woodstock’s Blenheim Palace. They will take part in country activities, including clay pigeon shooting and archery, watch demonstrations and go shopping in a food market. Dan Robinson tried his hand at what is on offer.

ONLY half-way through sawing the log, I’m exhausted. Needless to say, it’s the first time I’ve ever been handed a 5ft saw and been asked to cut off the end of a small poplar tree stump.

I’ve just watched instructor Andrew “Taff” Evans cutting through it like it’s an orange, but right now I’m stuck in the middle of this wood and out of breath.

Apparently, the world record for sawing wood is 10.2 seconds, but it takes me a good couple of minutes before the end falls off and I have my own piece of wood to take home as my prize.

Until today, I hadn’t even realised people competed in wood-cutting, but the Stihl Timbersports Series, which runs tournaments, has been in Britain for the past 14 years.

Current British champion Spike Milton tells my group: “Technique is everything and it’s got to the stage where the guys aren’t just lumberjacks, they are athletes.

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“You have to be a thinker and be tactical, making sure you don’t get disqualified for jumping the start.”

This has not been the only thing I’ve tried my hand at as I spent a day trying out the many different activities that will be on offer at the CLA Game Fair at Blenheim Palace.

First up was archery, with bullseye targets mixed with plastic animals to fire arrows at.

During the London Olympics we saw competitors consistently hitting precise targets from a long distance, but I struggle to hit a model pig from about 3m away.

That doesn’t stop me from firing an arrow at a deer’s head from about 12m. I feel like Robin Hood for a moment, before I miss the nearby pig again.

The trick, I’m told, is to aim about 3ft below the target and slightly to the right, which is my firing hand.

The bow is heavier than it looks, but not as heavy as the rifle used in the shooting simulator.

Reporter Dan Robinson has a go with the shotgun shooting simulator

Firing the gun is restricted to a computer screen but the “weapon” has a realistic weight.

As part of the “Hoof Legacy” of London 2012, a scheme to encourage horseriding, visitors will be able to take a ride on Henry the Horse. Another simulator, it has different speed levels – from slow walking to full-on galloping – in which the rider must get used to absorbing each bump.

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